Book Smart

Feeling guilty that your kindergartener has so many toys and books? Don't. Results from a 20-year study out of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia showed that a childhood surrounded by books and educational toys has positive effects on a person's brain. The more mental stimulation a kid got from parents at age four through books and toys that teach them about numbers, letters and colors, the more developed the parts of their brain dedicated to cognition and language skills were years later.